In this week’s installment, Nuggets television broadcaster Scott Hastings talks about Danilo Gallinari’s contract extension, the future of Wilson Chandler in Denver, how to be a good rebounder and what makes a great NBA memory.

Keep an eye out for next week’s installment. Send your suggestions and questions in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com.

Were you surprised about Danilo Gallinari signing an extension? I think it’s great and totally appropriate timing that he was extended one day after Carmelo Anthony went 0-for-7 for one point in the Knicks’ game against Charlotte.— Graham, Denver

Hastings: I know they were talking about a deal. When you see what Gallinari’s done on the court, it’s culminated in that contract. He’s a young rising star.

The people in charge of the Denver Nuggets — Josh Kroenke, Masai Ujiri — understand the importance of tying up the young guys early enough. They really learned a lesson from the things they went through in the past, especially with Melo last season. They didn’t want to wait.

When they got Gallinari, everybody thought “this guy can shoot, he can stretch the court.” But what has surprised me was his all-around game this season. His basketball intelligence is fun to see, it’s what George Karl always talks about. He’s better than good on the ball on defense. He has an ability to get to the free-throw line. For his age, for a guy who learned basketball overseas, he’s a lot better, to be honest, than I ever thought he would be.

I think it’s a great move. Fans want to know who they can cheer for. Well, here’s a guy who plays hard every night, he plays the right way, he’s exciting. That’s the kind of guy you like to build a team around.

With the Nuggets’ current depth and success, do you think re-signing Wilson Chandler after his jaunt in China will help the team, or would there be too many egos to manage? Do you think Chandler will be traded if that is the case?—Bali, Boulder

Hastings: The good thing about the Wilson Chandler situation is, he becomes a poker chip at the very least for the Nuggets. They retain his rights, he’s a restricted free agent. He falls under FIBA’s rules, so he has to wait until after the Chinese season, until March, to come back. But then Denver has great options.

They can resign him, and if they do they’ll have to make a roster move. Or if not, at the very least, he becomes a valued asset to your team, where they say, “We like where we’re going, we don’t want to mess with the chemistry, so what can we get in return for Chandler on the market?”‘

He’s a good player. When he came to Denver, you saw he has a good mid-range jump shot. He’s a good team defender, a good weak-side defender. And he’s a good kid. He’s a smart player. He has all the right tools.

So they’ll have to look to see if he’s what they need this season down the stretch.

But what’s nice for the Nuggets is, they haven’t had that option in recent years. They haven’t had that choice. And it’s a good choice. Because of what the front office has done, they now have either a great player or a great asset. Either way, it’s a good situation.

If I were in charge, I would wait. I’d follow what he’s doing over there, see where the Nuggets are as the season goes along. If you’re rolling and you’ve got good chemistry, you have to ask if Chandler can continue the right chemistry. With Chandler, can you all of a sudden get a boost, a B-12 shot at the end of the season?

The good thing about being an announcer is I don’t have to make that decision. But either way, it’s a win-win.

Most pundits seem to think the biggest thing lacking for the Nuggets is a “go-to guy” at the end of games. The Celtics have stated they are willing to move their big three to get younger. How about trading Arron Afflalo and the rights to Wilson Chandler to the Celtics for Ray Allen? Could he be the missing link to get the Nuggets over the top?—George, Denver

Hastings: If you look, Denver went on a five- or six-game stretch recently with five different guys who led them in scoring. The newness of that, the idea that you can get big contributions for so many guys, really shocks the old guard in the NBA.

Between Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Al Harrington, Andre Miller, Nene — they can all score. That shocks the NBA. Everybody looks at that and says, “You need someone to go isolation at the end of a game, like Kevin Durant.” But why? Why not have multiple threats? They’re 13-5 and they probably could have won a few of those other games. They’ve done it this way all year.

There will come a time when Gallo or Lawson must step up and understand they need to hit a big shot — the Chauncey Billups “Big Shot” moment.

But go back to the New York Knicks game and ask, “Who was afraid to take a shot when it counted? Who wanted the ball?” Al Harrington hit some big shots, Gallinari got a great drive to the hoop, Andre was directing traffic and got good penetration, Ty Lawson pushed the pace.

To me, it’s not “who’s the guy?” It’s, watch what guys do down the stretch in a game. And I’ve seen several guys want the ball. And that’s the key.

I know you have to be loving the team-oriented play we’re seeing from the Nuggets this year. Here’s a question on fundamentals: If a starting big man in the NBA boxes out on every shot that goes up, how many rebounds should he get each night?—Tom, Idaho Springs

Hastings: Everybody would like to have a run at Dwight Howard, who gets 20-20 all the time. But that’s not always the way to look at it.

When I was at the University of Arkansas, Johnny Bach, one of the all-time great NBA guys, said: “You know, if you want to play in the NBA, you have to be a better rebounder. You only average 7-8.” But I’m like, “With Alvin Robertson getting so many, there aren’t a whole lot of rebounds left.”

Putting a number on it is tough, because you have to look at what you’re doing as a team. The key for me is, watch the ball and watch the effort.

I played with Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer in Detroit. Laimbeer thought, “every rebound is mine.” For Rodman, he thought every single rebound was his. That’s the key.

So don’t get focused too much or get lost in the numbers. Look where the ball is going. In Philadelphia, Nene had 14 rebounds. Some games, he gets less. But the questions is, in the moment, when you need a rebound, who will get it for you?

So don’t just stare at the number, look at the action. I tend to watch the big guys and their reaction to the ball. You look at Kevin Love and he’s got major numbers on the boards. But I hear from different people that that’s his area — he just gets all their rebounds. I want five guys who rebound.

The Nuggets can be their most dangerous if all the guys rebound their area. You can get seven rebounds from Ty Lawson. And for Denver, it’s rebound and go. To me if you look at a go-to rebounder, it’s like the “who’s gonna take the last shot? question.” Denver needs to team rebound. Because it leads to transitions and you can catch the other team’s defense off guard.

That said, if you’re a big guy, you have to go after the rebounds.

I understand Coach Karl’s theory about rookies having to earn playing time, but how is Kenneth Faried handling his lack of playing time? Do you sense any frustration from him about not getting playing time in spite of the recent injuries to Nene, Rudy, and Afflalo?—Michael, Denver

Hastings: He’s a really good dude. Being around him on the road, you can see the quality of guy he is. But there’s a monster jump from D-I college ball to the NBA.

He’s been fortunate that the team is pretty solid around him and he’s been able to learn the game the right way. You can look at a bunch of good rookies in the league who end up on bad teams and they get a bunch of playing time, but they learn the game the wrong way. They learn bad habits.

I still believe there’s going be a game down the road this season where they’re gonna say to Faried, ‘We need you to go in and make it happen.” The key is to keep his head up and when that moment comes you’re ready. That’s the key for an NBA role guy, you have to be ready at all times because you never know when that moment hits you.

Is Birdman in the doghouse? Seems like he’s been playing less and less lately even though he’s contributed some good minutes this season. With Nene hurt, wouldn’t it make sense to play him more. Why do you think he hasn’t been playing much?—Jimmy, Denver

Hastings: I don’t think he’s in the doghouse. He and George Karl have had converstaions. Chris knows that there’s a certain level he needs to be at. And he is. It’s gonna come down to the guys in front of him and how they play. GK rides the hot guy, like most good coaches. Chris didn’t play against the Knicks, but that was because Timofey Mozgov was playing the game of his life.

They’ve had good communication, I think. I see Bird getting back to being Bird again. He wasn’t healthy last year. But he’s back. I see him being Bird more this season real soon.

You defined the career 12th man during your time in the NBA (Brian Cardinal and Brian Scalabrine should be paying homage to you every day). Among my favorite memories of your playing days was your appearance or two as a guest on David Letterman’s show. What was that like?—Jon-Michael, Aurora

Hastings: Being on Letterman was one of the best moments. They had me on because I was the best 12th player in the NBA, they said. It was a dream. I’m a Letterman guy, so it was awesome. Bruce Willis was there. David Sanborn was the musician, he’s 10 feet away from me, so it was like seeing a concert live up close.

The moment I’ll always remember is winning Game 5 with the Pistons in Portland for the NBA championship. Now that I’m 51, I can look back on it and really appreciate the moment. I remember in the locker room, everybody is jumping around partying, I grabbed a bottle of champagne, went to the side and sat in the showers and just watched everybody. I just watched the moment, the tears of joy, the hugs, the happiness, the laughs.

Funny story: We’ve all seen Dennis Rodman these days, he’s on “Celebrity Rehab” and doing whatever. But I’m sitting there in the locker room and I go over to Dennis and I’m trying to get him to join me with a bottle of champagne. But he wasn’t drinking then. He wouldn’t even drink champagne. Dennis is great, he’s a friend.

But being around 12 guys, who sweat together, bled together, broke bones together, cried and stood up together — it was the culmination of all that stuff and it was great. And then all of sudden you’re holding the NBA trophy. That’s what really sticks with me.

When DirecTV NBA League Pass allowed me to listen to my hometown broadcast team, I couldn’t have been happier. Nothing like Hastings and Marlowe calling a game and Blackjack Pizza commercials! In all your years of broadcasting Nuggets games, what moment or game were you part of that just had you saying “Wow! This job is pretty sweet.”?—Ryan, West Des Moines, Iowa

Hastings: I’ve had a lot of those moments. For starters, when I was calliing the Broncos, that first Super Bowl was a powerful moment. And with the Nuggets, when I was doing the game in Seattle when Denver came back from 0-2 — and they were down badly — vs. Seattle, it was just over the top. The pure emotion in the locker room with a bunch of can-do guys was phenomenal.

Funny story: In my first year broadcasting, I was doing sideline work for Nuggets home games. And at McNichols Arena, there were those old basketball stands, those bleachers, and I was there. And the game was getting physical, there were some tough calls. I had a microphone in my hand and I’m just screaming at the officials like I was still playing. I’m sweating and waving my arms. And, like, I realized all of a sudden I’m not playing. I thought, “Hey buddy, you’re not a player anymore!”

It’s the greatest job in the world. I can understand players who retire and have trouble giving it up. Everybody talks about the money, but what I miss as a player is the locker room; the four games in five nights; the double OT kind of games the Nuggets had in New York; the games when you’re all so tired you don’t want to stand up. But there’s a perfection that comes out of that. That competitive nature, that love of basketball is what you enjoy most.

Sometimes I get too close to it, but I talk to fans and I know how much they care. They feel bad and get upset about losses, I feel that too. I’m the worst. I wish I didn’t dislike officals as much, but that’s the player in me.

I’ve been doing this a long time. And as far as characters and good guys, this Nuggets team this year doesn’t have a rival. You’d have to go back to the LaPhonso Ellis-Bryant Stith teams. There are no egos, with players and coaches. When you’re a part of that, you feel really lucky.

Scott Hasting, 51, has been a Mile High City fixture since 1991. That’s when he joined the Denver Nuggets as a wise-cracking, off-the-bench role player.
Today, he’s the Nuggets’ analyst for Altitude TV and co-hosts an afternoon sports-talk show on KKFN 104.3-FM “The Fan.”

In 11 NBA seasons, Hastings averaged 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 10.4 minutes per game. He played two seasons for the Nuggets, finishing off a career that began in 1982 when he was drafted out of Arkansas by the Knicks. He was traded by the Knicks to the Atlanta Hawks during his rookie year and played six seasons with Atlanta. Then Hastings moved on, getting his championship ring as a member of the Detroit Pistons’ 1989-90 championship team.

Hastings always planned to coach basketball after his playing days were over. And, indeed, he coached the Arapahoe High School girls team for two seasons. But his gift for gab, off-beat humor and sports knowledge landed him in front of a microphone.

He paired with Dave Logan on 850-KOA’s “Sports Zoo” for 12 years. They also were partners for Denver Broncos radio broadcasts from 1997-2004.

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